Gas-meter.



H. H. SPRAGUE.

GAS METER.

urmonmn FILED JUNE 23, 1904.

1,089,730. Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. H. SPRAGUB.

GAS METER. APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 23, 1904.

1,089,730. Patented Mar. 10, 191i 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: TOR2 IN V w. G m 2- 5. LW- BY W U iATTORNEY ITED STATES PATOFFICE.

GAS-METER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 10, 1914.

Application filed June 23, 1904. Serial No. 213,846.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY H. SPRAGUE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Gas-Meters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to gas-meters, its object being to prevent anytampering with the meter that would causethe valve and the registeringmechanism to travel backward and not properly indicate the amount of gaspassing through the meter, and also to hold and maintain the valvefirmly on its seat and to prevent its lifting when its backward rotationis arrested.

To enable others to understand my invention reference is had to theaccompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 represents an upper plan view of a valve-seat with aneccentrically operating valve mounted thereon, and a portion of the dialregistering mechanism connected therewith: Fig. 2 is a side elevation ofthe valveseat, valve, and mechanism shown at Fig. 1,

also broken view of a meter crank-shaft:

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the valve and end elevation of a part ofthe recording mechanism looking in the direction of arrow a of Fig. 2:Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the valve and sectional view of a part ofthe registering mechanism through line b of Fig. 2, showingthe valvelocked against backward rotation: Fig. 5 is a detail side elevation ofthe valve, detail view of the worm-shaft connected with a part of therecording mechanism. an arm projecting from said shaft engaged by aprojection of the valve to rotate said shaft, and a pivoted stop: Fig. 6is a view similar to Fig. 5, showing the arm of the worm-shaft liftingthe stop: Fig. 7 is a broken view of the frame of the recordingmechanism with the arm of the wormshaft brought against the oppositeside of the stop, and the valve locked against backward rotation: Fig. 8is an upper plan view of a concentrically operating valve and its seat,sectional .view of the worm-shaft and stop, showing a drive-pinengagedwith the straight arm of said shaft, said pin eccentricallyplaced with respect to center of the valve: Fig. 9 is a side elevationof the valve and seat shown at Fig. 8, broken view of the valveoperating shaft, and elevation of a part of the recording mechanism,

showing the stop lifted through the rotary movement of the valve: Fig.10 is a side elevation of the concentrically operating valve lockedagainst a straight stop, and sectlonal view of the arm having an angularfoot: Fig. 11 is a view similar to Fig. 10 except that the stop isprovided with an angular foot.

It is a fact known to some users of gas that, when the current of thegas is reversed, z. e. caused to run backward through the meter, the gaswill not only pass through the meter without being recorded, but it willreturn the hands of the recording mechanism back to their starting pointand thus disturb the record of amount of gas passing through the meter.This is usually accomplished by the surreptitious reversal of thegas-intake and outlet pipes. The purpose of my in vention, as beforementioned, is to check this backward current and it is applicable to allvalves rotating on a horizontal plane.

In the drawings, Figs. 1 2 3 4 5 6 and 7, the device is applied to aneccentrically operated valve fully set forth and described in the patentgranted to me March 10th 1903, #723,390. A brief description of thisvalvc may be necessary in order to show its connection with my presentdevice.

1 is the valve-seat having three triform intake-ports, two-2 and 3 beinguncovered. The valve 4: has an eccentric movement on the seat throughthe medium of the crankshaft 5, Fig. 2, having the arm 6 on its end.

7 is a driving-pin on the end of this c'rankarm adapted to enter a holein the center of the valve, which hole extends into the driver orprojection 8 rising from the upper surface of the valve, but notextending though said projection or driver. It will be understood thatthe rotary movement is imparted to the crank-shaft 5 by mechanism notshown within the body of the meter.

9 is a frame having the shaft 10 journaled therein whose projecting endis adapted to be connected to the shaft of the recording mechanism-notshown. This shaft carries the worm-gear 11 to register with the worm 12,on the vertical shaft 13. This shaft is directly in the center of thevalve-seat 1 and is provided with the straight arm 14 projecting atright angles therefrom. This arm lies on the path of the projection ordriver 8, which driver is directly in the center of the valve so that,when the valve is rotating, as indicated by arrow 0, it will engage theaway from said frame, for its movement in the opposite direction ischecked by the frame-as shown at Fig. 4. The stop shown at Figs. 1 2 3and 4 is provided with the inclined foot 16, the purpose of which willhereinafter be explained. When, therefore,

the arm of the worm-shaft or the driver of the valve-in its forwardrotary movementsreaches this stop it will simply lift it-see Fig. 3andpass by, without retard- I ing the forward movement of the valve.

When the rotary movement of the valve is reversed,'it will move awayfrom the arm of the worm-shaft in the direction of arrow e-Fig. 4c-untilit brings up against the bottom of the inclined foot 16 of the stopwhich checks the further backward travel of the valve, for it will beobserved that the lowest point of this footis below the top of thedriver, cgnsequently, it cannot pass under, and is locked againstfurther backward travel by such contact and the engagement of the stopwith the frame 9.

The engagement of the inclined foot with the driver of the valve willexert such a downward pressure on the valve that it cannot be lifted ortilted by the upward pressure of the gas from below so that, while thevalve is thus halted, no gas can escape.

InFigs. 5 6 and 7 the same principle is carried out with a slightmodification or arrangement of the elements. views, the stop has noangular or inclined foot, this, as willbe observed, is transferred tothe worm-shaft, and, to avoid confusion, will be designated by thenumeral 17. When the valve is moving ,forward, the driver 8 of the valveengages the inclined foot 17 of the worm-shaft as shown at Fig. 5,lifting the stop 15 as shown at Fig. 6. When, therefore, the valvestarts to rotate backward, it will leave the foot 17,- make a completerevolution, engage the foot from the opposite side and carry said footagainst the stop 15. As soon as the foot strikes this stop, furtherbackward movement is impeded. The driver 8 will lie under the inclinedface of the foot 17 and be engaged therewith with the same beneficialresults as when the inclined foot was located in the stop,

' Figs. 8 9 10 and 11 represent a valve adapted to have a concentricrotary motion on its seat with the worm-shaft directly in line with thecenter of the valve and seat. 18 is the valve-seat having the ports 18.19 the valve, 20 the rotary valve-shaft whose upper end is so securedtothe valve that the valve is rotated with said shaft. As the valve has acircular or concentric movement In these 4 on its seat, the driver-pin21 is eccentrically located with respect to the center of the valve andthe worm-shaft so as to en age the arm or foot projecting from said saft and rotate it. The sto in either of the constructions shown at Figs.1 and 8 will lie in the path of the traveling drivers and the result isthe same in both cases. In Figs. 8 9 and 11 the incline. is on the stopand in Fig. 10 it is connected with the worm-shaft,

The stop for checking the backward movement of the valve is shownsupported on the frame of the recording mechanism, but it can besupported at any other convenient place.

My device, as before mentioned, is applicable to all rotary valveswhether their path of-rotation is eccentric or concentric, and, for thepurpose of my invention, the term rotary will, therefore, apply to both.

From the foregoing description it will readily be seen that in one casethe driver of the valve is brought directly in contact with a pivotallysupported arm called the stop While in another case the arm of theworm-shaft is brought against the stop and the driver is brought indirect contact with the arm. In either case, the projection on thevalve, combinedwith the stop, are the controlling factors that arrestthe backward travel of the valve, while the inclineprevents the valvebeing lifted from its seat whether such incline is a part of the stop,or a part of the arm of the worm-shaft, or a. part of the valve ordriver.

While I show the recording mechanism operated by the valve, I wish it tobe distinctly understood that the recording mechanism is not anecessary. element in effecting the results sought after, as the gist ofmy invention lies in providing means on the valve itself to be engagedby a stop to arrest its backward movement and prevent its being liftedafter such movement has been arrested Having thus described my inventionwhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a gas meter, a rotatable valve, a seat therefor, a stop arrangedin proximity to said valve and mounted to yield in one direction ofmovement of said valve but limited in its movement in the reversedirection, a projecting, element carried by the valve, and. meansinterposed between said stop and projecting element and engaged by thelatter, whereby on the reverse rotation of the valve the stop arreststhe reverse rotation of said valve and the latter is -also maintained onits seat.

2. In a gas meter, a rotatable valve, a seat therefor, a stop arrangedin proximity to said valve and mounted to yield in one direction ofmovement of said valve but limited in its movement in the reverse direction, a projecting element carried by the valve, and an inclined footinterposed between said stop and said projecting element and engaged bythe latter, whereby on the reverse rotation of the valve the stoparrests the reverse rotation of said valve and the latter is alsomaintained on its seat.

3. In a gas meter, means for actuating the registering mechanism thereofand including a shaft, a rotatable valve, a seat therei for, an armcarried by said shaft, a projecting element carried by the valve andadapted to contact with said arm whereby to actuate the registeringmechanism, a stop arranged'in proximity to said valve and mounted toyield in one direction of movement of said valve but limited in itsmovement in the reverse direction, and means interposed between saidstop and said projecting element and engaged by the latter whereby onthe reverse rotation of the valve the stop arrests the reverse rotationof said valve and the latter is also maintained on its seat.

Signed at Bridgeport in the county of Fairfield and State of Connecticutthis 4th day of June A. D. 1904.

HENRY I-I. SPRAGUE.

\Vitnesses:

Gaoaon \V. FINLJ, S. J. CIIAFFEE.

